Succeeding as a walk-on takes a tremendous amount of courage and determination. With no guarantees or financial support, it's simply an athlete's faith in themselves and their love for the game which propels them to reach for the ultimate validation of their improvement and contributions—a scholarship.

Such was the case for LSU basketball guard Henry Shortess who was recently acknowledged by head coach Johnny Jones for his efforts.

During a team meeting, the unsuspecting junior was called up in front of his team for recognition, at which point Jones introduced the good news by saying this:

We’re excited about the efforts and stuff that Henry’s been putting forward and he’s always thrived and did everything that he possibly could to be the best that he could be. ...

He’s never looked and I don’t think you guys have ever looked at him as a walk-on. And today I’m glad that you won’t have an opportunity to anymore—we’re going to put Henry on scholarship.

Shortess' emotions are clear, but so too are those of his teammates who are clearly elated for him.

There's no doubting Shortess' gratitude as he proudly relays the good news over the phone, and judging by the show of respect he received from Jones, it's obvious the honor couldn't have gone to a better guy.